The present invention relates to an article of footwear, and in particular to a sports shoe with a suspended stud assembly.
Stud assemblies have been previously proposed. Ungari (U.S. Pat. No. 7,194,826) teaches a sole structure with a pivoting cleat assembly. Ungari teaches a pivoting cleat assembly for an article of footwear such that the medial and lateral portion of the cleat assembly can move upwardly and downwardly with respect to the sole. Ungari teaches a plurality of recesses formed in a lower surface of a sole. Each recess is configured to receive at least a portion of a cleat assembly. When a user's leg is angled toward the medial side of the footwear, a medial portion of the base member pivots upwardly into a recess, while the sole is angled toward the medial side. Furthermore, even though the leg and the sole are angled inwardly toward the medial side, both cleats of the cleat assembly remain fully engaged and in contact with the ground, enhancing traction for the user.